Generating information about procedures

For example, to determine how many times a procedure is run, you could include a debugging procedure in the USE FOR DEBUGGING declarative and use a counter to keep track of the number of times that control passes to that procedure. You can use the counter technique to check items such as these:

• How many times a PERFORM statement runs, and thus whether a particular routine is being used and whether the control structure is correct
• How many times a loop runs, and thus whether the loop is executing and whether the number for the loop is accurate

You can use debugging lines or debugging statements or both in your program.

Debugging lines are statements that are identified by a D in column 7. To make debugging lines in your program active, code the WITH DEBUGGING MODE clause on the SOURCE-COMPUTER line in the ENVIRONMENT DIVISION. Otherwise debugging lines are treated as comments.

Debugging statements are the statements that are coded in the DECLARATIVES section of the PROCEDURE DIVISION. Code each USE FOR DEBUGGING declarative in a separate section. Code the debugging statements as follows:

• Only in a DECLARATIVES section.
• Following the header USE FOR DEBUGGING.
• Only in the outermost program; they are not valid in nested programs. Debugging statements are also never triggered by procedures that are contained in nested programs.

To use debugging statements in your program, you must include the WITH DEBUGGING MODE clause and use the DEBUG runtime option.

Options restrictions:

• You cannot use the USE FOR DEBUGGING declarative in a program that you compile with the THREAD option.

Example: USE FOR DEBUGGING